Innovation Grants support research at the intersection of technology and policy

The text below is a press release from the U.S. Mission to the EU which was released on July 11, 2016. The original text can be found here.

Innovation Grants support research at the intersection of technology and policy

Ambassador Anthony L. Gardner announced July 11 the successful completion of the first phase of fundraising for the Fulbright-Schuman Innovation Grants, noting that the new program will now be funded for at least the next five years, thanks to the generous support of numerous American and European companies. Ambassador Gardner underlined the importance of achieving the final fundraising goal of $300,000 by January 2017, which would guarantee a stable future for the new Grants for the next 10-15 years.

The Innovation Grants will support every year one to two scholars who will spend six to nine months working towards harnessing the promise of new technologies while addressing the policy and regulatory challenges that they pose. Each academic year the grants will be designed to reflect the evolving priorities of U.S.-EU relations, with the initial focus in 2016-17 being on data privacy and protection.

Ambassador Gardner noted that the exchange of ideas and people across the Atlantic, particularly the important role played by the private sector in ensuring that the United States and Europe remain at the forefront of technological research and innovation. “To remain competitive, we need the best American and European minds to work together on cutting-edge technologies as well as the policies designed to harness them to benefit our citizens. One of the best investments we can make today is in the new generations of innovative American and European leaders.”

The Fulbright-Schuman Innovation Grants were launched by the United States Department of State and the European Commission in October 2015, with the first grantees selected for academic year 2016-2017. The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture will fund the exchange of EU citizens through existing funding mechanisms, while American citizens will be supported by the private contributions raised by the U.S. Mission to the European Union for the Innovation Grants, adding to the U.S. Government’s financial support for Fulbright-Schuman.

The Fulbright-Schuman Program is the flagship joint exchange program between the United States and the European Union. The first exchanges were established under the Transatlantic Declaration in 1990. Over the last 26 years, the Fulbright-Schuman Program has supported more than 350 American and Europeans travelling across the Atlantic researching on all aspects of U.S.-EU relations.

More information on the Fulbright-Schuman Program, including a list of donors for the Innovation Grants, can be found on the website of the Fulbright-Schuman Program at www.fulbrightschuman.eu. For companies interested in contributing to this initiative, please contact useupa@state.gov for more information.